WHAT I'VE BEEN WATCHING: CHRISTMAS MOVIES

Happy Christmas week! I have some updates on Christmas movies!! Right now we are in it with the Netflix/Hallmark Christmas movies- light-hearted, slightly cheesy rom-coms that we all know and love! I've been watching them while wrapping presents and working on my Christmas puzzle. From my "What I Want to Watch on Netflix: Christmas Movies" post, I checked off both Champagne Problems and A Merry Little Ex-Mas. Both were cute- A Merry Little Ex-Mas definitely has the cheesy moments but I loved getting to see Alicia Silverstone back on the screen! Minka Kelly was also great, she's always so ethereal. I would've liked a little more drama or oomph for the ending of Champagne Problems, however I have no regrets and I liked a lot of the supporting characters. I have similar feelings about A Cowboy Christmas Romance. I think both were just a bit anticlimactic for my liking! 

A pleasant surprise in the mix was Christmas at the Chalet. I started this one on a whim and it's been my favorite one so far! I also had no clue Teri Hatcher was in it until I started watching. She was great- the storyline is really cute and I loved her character! The energy she has in the movie is so bubbly and fun, I was entertained the whole time. Definitely a feel good worth watching. I started A Sprinkle of Christmas because I love any cooking/baking themes but I couldn't really get into this one. 

Switching gears to Amazon, I randomly started A Cinderella Christmas which was so cute! The OG A Cinderella Story is a forever fave but I had zero expectations on what to expect here, definitely a pleasant surprised. I really think that the leading characters can really make or break a film- Emma Rigby's character, Angie, was lovely and really carried the movie IMO. Very charming, sweet and wholesome! 

I think that covers everything I've watched so far... I'm excited to dive into some of the "Classics" next! Every year I also love re-watching all of my faves like Christmas With the Kranks, This Christmas, The Family Stone, etc. 

Wishing you a wonderful week and a Merry Christmas!! - xx. 

END OF THE WEEK THOUGHTS | 12.19.25

The Christmas countdown is on! How are we doing, is everybody ready? I've been taking more of a laissez faire approach with the holidays this year. I haven't felt as pressured internally to shop shop shop and do all of the holiday things. I'm not feeling bah humbug, just more of a "it'll be what it'll be" vibe. It always ends up coming together in the end, no? We've just been going with the flow this year, ya'll, which has made a huge difference. I feel so much lighter, mentally, and just less stressed over all. Love that for me! ;) 

Obviously I love Christmas so I'm still excited for the upcoming week! I think the difference this year is we're just trying to keep it fun, ya know? I'm hoping to finish up all of my shopping this weekend and if I were smart, I would've started wrapping gifts weeks ago, lol. If push comes to shove, we always have gift bags!

Maybe I'll have a wrapping party and start my next Christmas movie. I finished watching Champagne Problems this week which was pretty cute- I like Minka Kelly. I also started this Christmas puzzle and made some Santa's Cookies tonight so we're staying festive. It's crazy how quickly the time has passed this season- every year it seems to go by a little bit faster. Here's to a few more festive days before the start of 2026! 

Wishing you all a fun and festive weekend! -- xx.

I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

DAILY ESSENTIALS HAUL

Cotton Rounds // Crest Stain Remover Toothpaste // Skintimate Shaving Gel // Therabreath Mouthwash // Crest Radiant Mint Whitening Toothpaste 

**SHOP THIS POST + MORE OF MY DAILY ESSENTIALS HERE** 

I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

TOP 5 MOST POPULAR BLOG POSTS | 12.15.25

1. HATCH RESTORE ALARM CLOCK UNBOXING - Everyone must be gifting Hatch Alarm Clocks for Christmas this year, hehe!! I think the Hatch makes a great gift for anyone who values their sleeping routines and/or maybe isn't a morning person. This post is a great reference for more info on the clock itself, however I've really enjoyed mine. I love the different sound and light options and find it still functional without the monthly subscription.

Read here: Hatch Restore Alarm Clock Unboxing 

2. SALT & STONE DEODORANT REVIEW + RESTOCK HAUL - My favorite clean deodorant is still the Salt & Stone line. I love their sensitive line- the formula is nice for lower activity days and during the cooler months. They also have some amazing scents that suit both men + women. 

Read here: Salt & Stone Deodorant Review + Restock Haul 

3. REVIEWING YASSO GREEK YOGURT BARS - My favorite healthy "ice cream" is the Yasso Greek Yogurt Bars. They are so good, ya'll. Compared to regular ice cream, they're a lot less calories with some extra protein. It's the perfect sweet treat if you're trying to be mindful of your nutrition. 

Read here: Reviewing Yasso Greek Yogurt Bars 

4. OURA RING UNBOXING - Another great gift idea and one of my best purchases has been the Oura Ring. It's almost been four years since I first bought mine and I absolutely love. It's a great data-tracking tool for sleep, vitals, feminine health + more. I check my ring's data daily and it's a great tool for monitoring health. This post has a lot more info on the ring, my original unboxing + more. 

Read here: Oura Ring Unboxing 

5. DUCK DONUTS REVIEW + TASTE TEST - Duck Donuts is a such a fun concept. They're donut shops with "made to order" donuts that are yummy. This post has a review of my first time going + a rundown of a lot of the different flavors they offer. They have a lot of house-made flavors to choose from or you can customize your own! 

Read here: Duck Donuts Review + Taste Test 

What are your favorite blog posts to read? Let me know some ideas you'd like to see in 2026!! - xx. 

NEW AT SEPHORA

Hangul 2-in-1 Mask to Foam Cleanser // Mango People Glossy Lip Stain // ROZ Scalp Scrub Detox Shampoo // Gisou Honey Lip Mask // MAKEUP BY MARIO Etheral Eyes Nature Eyeshadow Palette // Hanyul Cleansing Oil // HUDA BEAUTY Easy Bake Loose Powder // innisfree Green Tea Milk Toner 

-SHOP THE POST-

I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

DECEMBER BOOK HAUL

I'm always excited to share a new book haul with you!! Anytime Target or Amazon has a sale on books, I try to buy a few from my never-ending TBR list. Right now I'm making my way through a re-read on Eclipse (I've been on a Twilight re-read + re-watch these past few months!), however I want to squeeze in a few fun holiday reads before Christmas. I always love a festive romance for the holidays- I need easy and lighthearted this time of the year!!

You may or may not know that I usually like to go into books blind without much to go on. Rarely do I read through a synopsis and if I do, it's usually forgotten about it by the time I get around to buying/reading the book. Because of that, I have no idea what any of these are actually about, lol. Most of the time I find new recommendations based on ratings, new arrivals or if I keep seeing them pop up often in TikTok videos, on Goodreads, etc. 

I love a good holiday rom-com so when I saw both Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal and Good Spirits on the newly released/coming soon page a few months back, my attention was grabbed. I'm always drawn to cute cover art! Fast forward a little bit and both of these have been getting some great reviews which is always a green light. The only intel I really have is that Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal is technically a spin-off sequel with secondary characters from the book How My Neighbor Stole Christmas. I contemplated reading it first, however I decided I wanted to start with the new one. 

In the past I wouldn't have been able to do it! It would've drove me nuts to read a sequel without reading the first book. Now, I'm a lot less rigid on that and decided does it even matter?? I've never really been a huge fan of spin-offs- the first books are always the best IMO and the supporting characters typically aren't as interesting to me. 

I'm kind of old school in that I love a classic, regular series where all of the books continue the same plot + story. Those I would have to read in order! In this case, I'm feeling the vibes on book two so we're starting there! Also who knows- maybe I'll love it enough to go back and read the first one too, haha. 

I also finally picked up Mile High by Liz Tomforde. This book has been on my wish list for so long and is constantly raved about on TikTok. I vaguely remember reading the synopsis on this- I'm pretty sure it takes places in Chicago and our male lover is an athlete. That's about it! It's also part of a spinoff series, lol. I may or may not read the sequels but I'm at least excited for this one!! 

-SHOP THE POST-

**SHOP THESE BOOKS + MORE OF MY READING LIST HERE**

*ADD ME ON GOODREADS HERE :)*

What books have you been reading?

I love sharing my picks + hauls with you all! Should you make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)

WHAT I WANT TO WATCH ON NETFLIX: CHRISTMAS MOVIES

Every year I wait too long to start watching Christmas movies, I usually end up watching more after Christmas than before. I always have big ambitions to tackle both my favorites + new ones, however time seems to slip away. This year I'm pushing myself to start early and we're kicking things off with all new (to me) movies. I perused Netflix and found these starting picks- a few are new 2025 releases and some older additions that look promising!

From the new and trending, my three picks are: Jingle Bell Heist, Champagne Problems and A Merry Little Ex-Mas. I've already heard positive feedback on Jingle Bell Heist which looks cute. I like that the storyline is a bit different than a lot of the Netflix/Hallmark rom-coms, I'm excited to watch! Champagne Problems and A Merry Little Ex-Mas I was pretty much sold on when I saw Alicia Silverstone and Minka Kelly. Alicia will always be my fave!! 

I watched a few different trailers of older movies I've never seen and both A Lot Like Christmas and The Noel Diary made the list. A Lot Like Christmas is giving classic Netflix Hallmark, The Noel Diary is a bit more dramatic. I typically go for lighthearted and fun on Netflix, however the more heartfelt movies usually end up on my favorites list. I like a little bit of sentimentality thrown in there too! 

NETLIX CHRISTMAS MOVIE WATCH LIST

+ Jingle Bell Heist
+ Champagne Problems
+ A Merry Little Ex-Mas
+ A Lot Like Christmas
+ The Noel Diary

Let me know your favorite Christmas movies so I can watch them too!